In Support of Rene Atayan

It is time to get rid of Amy Paulin and to replace her in the State Assembly with Rene Atayan. Paulin is a five-term incumbent who has voted 99.1% of the time with Speaker Sheldon Silver on decisions that have thrown our state into virtual insolvency. A vote for Paulin, an entrenched incumbent, will only ensure that the problem will get worse; a vote on November 2 for Atayan, a true reformer, will allow the State of New York to begin to restore fiscal solvency.

Paulin's fiscal incompetency should come as no surprise. Her previous work for a non-profit organization may qualify her to take warm and fuzzy social legislation to the floor. However, the (admittedly moving) anecdotal stories about her obscure the critical issue: Paulin is doing a horrible job representing most of her constituency. And let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that her record on social causes is unblemished. Paulin voted for budget item A00156B, which allows criminals to have their records sealed, creating a serious potential threat to children, the elderly, and the institutions that care for them.

Paulin has no experience working in private industry, which her work in the legislature has made painfully evident. For example, she has turned a blind eye to the New York State pension crisis, as the vote for article 19 swelled from a liability of $245 million to $1.7 billion. The populations of New York State and of Westchester Country have shrunk while Paulin has been in office, yet spending has increased 70%. Thanks to measures taken by Paulin, Westchester County is overburdened with state mandates for pension plans, Medicaid, and other entitlement programs. We are now the highest-taxed county in the country, with rates 80% above the norm. Not only is Paulin totally unqualified to help solve our fiscal crisis, she is a clear and present danger to our future!

Rene Atayan is a far better choice for State Assembly. Atayan has spent 30 years in the private sector. Her experience includes work as an engineer in Detroit, in sales and marketing development with prominent media firms, and as an independent business owner. Rene has served the people of New York as an auxiliary police officer and a board member of the volunteer ambulance corps. She has fought, as a citizen and a volunteer, to cut wasteful spending, reduce taxes, and improve our schools, gladly taking on such issues as housing, zoning, and traffic. Her husband sits on the Bronxville Board of Education, and was influential last year in helping the Board to lower taxes without adversely affecting academics. Boy, do we need that kind of action at the state level!

Rene Atayan has the experience and values that will enable her to be the reformer that New York State needs.

Andrea O'Halloran
Bronxville, NY